12 th Sunday after Pentecost August 12, 2018 Father Alvin s Message Welcome to the Church of Saint John this morning. We are God s children, journeying in faith towards the promised land of eternal life. We are bound to encounter doubts, difficulties and hardships along this journey. Jesus in whose name we gather, every Sunday, is not only the goal of our journey but also our companion on the journey. In today s Holy Gospel reading, Jesus declares to the crowd and ourselves that He is the bread that has come down from heaven. Jesus is the new manna from heaven. Those who eat this food will live forever. The bread, spoken of by Jesus, is a revelation given to us by Jesus. Through the teaching of the Apostles this bread has come to reflect the Holy Eucharist. The reaction called for is one of coming to Him, which is also to believe in Him. Faith is a gift from God our Father but it demands openness to receive the gift on our part. Jesus, strengthen us when we are weak, raise us up when we fall, renew our hope when we grow discouraged. Fr. Alvin St. John s Anglican Church Lunenburg, Nova Scotia Priest-in-Charge: Reverend Alvin Westgate Organist & Choir Director: Barbara Butler To all who mourn or need comfort, To all who are weary and need rest, To all who seek friendship, To all who desire to grow in relationship with God To all who yearn to pray, To all who need a Saviour, And to all whoever will worship, This Church of St. John s opens wide its doors and in the name of Christ our Lord, says - WELCOME. LAY MINISTERS TODAY Lay Readers: 8:30 am Bill Black 10:30 am Robert MacMillan Lectors: 8:30 am Sandra Jordan, Ben Smith 10:30 am Bruce Holdbrook, Heather Hyson Sidespersons: 10:30 am Wayne Dodge Refreshments: Louise Holdbrook, Sharon Hill NEXT SUNDAY AUGUST 19th Lay Readers: 8:30 am Bill Black 10:30 am Roger Demone, Charlene Demone Lectors: 8:30 am Cathy Ramey, Christina Portie 10:30 am Lillian Keeping, Stephen Lewis Sidespersons: 10:30 am Wayne Dodge Refreshments: Mary Francis, Rose Conrad 2
The Holy Eucharist Communion Setting for today is Mass for Grace Prelude: Hallelujah, Yes Indeed Gospel Variations by Sy Oliver Hymn: #342 We Praise You, O God The Gathering of the Community Celebrant The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. All And also with you. All Glory To God Celebrant All Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hidden. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name; through Christ our Lord. Amen. The Collect of the Day Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly king, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen. 3 Almighty God, you sent your Holy Spirit to be the life and light of your Church. Open our hearts to the riches of your grace, that we may bring forth the fruit of the Spirit in love, joy, and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. The Proclamation of the Word A Reading from 2 Samuel The king gave orders to Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders concerning Absalom. So the army went out into the field against Israel; and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim. The men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the slaughter there was great on that day, twenty thousand men. The battle spread over the face of all the country; and the forest claimed more victims that day than the sword. Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak. His head caught fast in the oak, and he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on. And ten young men, Joab s armour-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him, and killed him. Then the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, Good tidings for my lord the king! For the Lord has vindicated you this day, delivering you from the power of all who rose up against you. The king said to the Cushite, Is it well with the young man Absalom? The Cushite answered, May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up to do you harm, be like that young man. The king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept; and as he went, he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would that I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son! 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33 The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. PSALM REFRAIN The Lord shall redeem us from all our sins. Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications! R If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered. R 4
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. R O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem. It is he who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities. R PSALM 130 A Reading from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbours, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labour and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 4:25-5:2 The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Gradual Hymn #583 When God Restored Our Common Light Gospel Reader The Lord be with you. People And also with you. THE HOLY GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST ACCORDING TO JOHN People Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, I am the bread that came down from heaven. They were saying, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, I have come down from heaven? Jesus answered them, Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. 5 It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught by God. Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh. John 6:35, 41-51 People Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. REFLECTION The Apostles Creed We confess the faith of our baptism, saying, I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The Prayers of the People Please kneel or sit for the prayers. Response: Lord, hear us in Your love. Confession and Absolution Dear friends in Christ, God is steadfast in love and infinite in mercy; he welcomes sinners and invites them to his table. Let us confess our sins, confident in God s forgiveness. Silence is kept. Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, 6
have mercy on us and forgive us, that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen. Celebrant: Almighty God have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Peace All stand, and the celebrant addresses the people. The peace of the Lord be always with you. And also with you. The assembly greets one another in the name of the Lord. Choir Anthem: My Heart Is Filled With Thankfulness The Celebration of the Eucharist The Preparation of the Gifts Offertory Hymn #507 Blest Be The Tie That Binds Representatives of the parish present the gifts of bread and wine for the Eucharist. Each one as they are able, makes an offering to the Lord for the needs and responsibilities of the Church to be placed on the altar. The Prayer over the Gifts God our sustainer, accept all we offer you this day, and feed us continually with that bread which satisfies all hunger, your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. The Great Thanksgiving - Eucharistic Prayer The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise. Blessed are you, gracious God, creator of heaven and earth; we give you thanks and praise through Jesus Christ our Lord, who on this first day of the week overcame death and the grave, 7 and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life. In our unending joy we echo on earth the song of the angels in heaven as we raise our voices to proclaim the glory of your name. Holy, holy, holy Lord, (Sung CP#719) God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the highest. We give thanks to you, Lord our God, for the goodness and love you have made known to us in creation; in calling Israel to be your people; in your Word spoken through the prophets; and above all in the Word made flesh, Jesus your Son. For in these last days you sent him to be incarnate from the Virgin Mary, to be the Saviour and Redeemer of the world. In him, you have delivered us from evil, and made us worthy to stand before you. In him, you have brought us out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, out of death into life. On the night he was handed over to suffering and death, a death he freely accepted, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, Take, eat: this is my body which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me. After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, Drink this, all of you: this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me. Let us proclaim the mystery of our faith. (Sung) CP #720 Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. We offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to you, Lord of all; presenting to you, from your creation, this bread and this wine. We pray you, gracious God, to send your Holy Spirit upon these gifts, that they may be the sacrament of the body of Christ and his blood of the new covenant. Unite us to your Son in his sacrifice, that we, made acceptable in him, may be sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In the fullness of time, reconcile all things in Christ, and make them new, and bring us to that city of light where you dwell with all your sons and daughters; through Jesus Christ our Lord, the firstborn of all creation, the head of the Church, and the author of our salvation; by whom, and with whom, and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory are yours, almighty Father, now and for ever. Amen. (Sung 3x) CP #721 8
The Lord s Prayer Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. The Breaking of the Bread We break the bread of life, and that life is the light of the world. God here among us, light in the midst of us, bring us to light and life. The gifts of God for the People of God. Thanks be to God. The Communion CP#745 Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: grant us peace. The celebrant and people then receive communion. The body of Christ (given for you). The blood of Christ (shed for you). The communicant responds each time, Amen. This community of faith, welcomes to the Lord s table all who are baptized and who wish to be nourished with the Body and Blood of Christ. Communion Hymns #73 One Bread, One Body ; His Eye Is On The Sparrow (No 4 Black Binder) Prayer after Communion Glory to God, whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory to God from generation to generation, in the Church and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever. Amen. Blessing & Sending Out The blessing of God almighty, Father + Son, and Holy Spirit, be with you now and remain with you always. Amen. Go in joyful hope to love and serve the Lord. Thanks be to God. Recessional Hymn God Be With You God Be With You (repeat x2), Until We Meet Again God Be With You (repeat x2), Until We Meet Again Postlude: from Suite for Organ Telemann Music Announcements NOTICES Wednesdays at Noon Series is now in its third season here at St. John s. Please join us for delightful half hour musical presentations featuring friends of St. John s Music Program. Our program in August includes: Wednesday, August 15 at noon Glenn Patscha, a pianist with a New Orleans style Wednesday, August 22 at noon Matthew Fraser, organ Wednesday, August 29 at noon Musique Royale artists Steve Normandin and Sylvie Briday Musique Royale presents Elinor Frey (Baroque cello); Suzie LeBlanc (soprano); Michel Angers (theorbo) here at St. John s on Wednesday, August 15 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $20, available at Shop on the Corner and at the door. God of grace, we have shared in the mystery of the body and blood of Christ. May we who have tasted the bread of life live with you for ever. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Doxology 9 10
Community Roots Day Camp: exploring the roots that keep us grounded. August 21, 2018 @St John s Anglican Church. Cost is free. Children ages 4-12 may be registered at: www.sharenspei.ca The Day Camps will be developed by a staff team, in collaboration with communities to make sure that each camp engages with what's going on locally, and will help kids learn about God's love for them and the world around them. Each day of camp will include worship, games, art, stories, and exciting ways to learn and grow in faith together. To make these camps happen, we need parishes who are passionate about serving the children and young people in their communities, parishes that maybe need a bit of help figuring out how to make that happen, parishes interested in acting missionally! Staff will develop the camps, and will work with volunteers in parishes to help lead the program - and will offer training to prepare volunteers for this camp, and to equip them to continue serving children and young people all year long Parish Contacts PRIEST-IN-CHARGE: Rev. Alvin Westgate 902-640-2484 PARISH OFFICE: 902-634-4994 email: stjohnslunenburg@bellaliant.com; WEB: www.stjohnslunenburg.org HONORARY ASSOCIATES: Rev. Linda Macdonald 902-634-9473, Rev. Oliver Osmond 902-634-8589 PARISH WARDENS Duncan Crowdis 902-521-9724 Blake Starratt 902-634-9424 Robert MacMillan 902-527-0122 CHAIR OF PARISH COUNCIL Brooke Nodding 902-634-9425 ORGANIST/CHOIR DIRECTOR Barbara Butler 902-624-0506 HAND BELLS Sharon Hill 902-634-8781 CHIMER Peter Allen 902-634-4668 TREASURER Dan Sargeant 902-237-9728 ALTAR GUILD Maureen Moffatt, Ann Grandy, Barbara Simonds PASTORAL VISITATION Vacant at this time PRAYER & HEALING MINISTRY Linda Macdonald 902-634-9473 SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT Vacant at this time HERITAGE Roger Demone 902-543-5753 MUSIC Jane Ritcey Moore 902-275-4834 PROPERTY Wayne Dodge 902-634-4885 LADIES GUILD Susan MacMillan 902-634-3019 ACW Barbara Nowe 902-634-4473 ACW CATERING Patty Tanner 543-3474 LAY READERS Roger Demone 543-5753 SERVERS Sheila Morris 902-634-3713 SUNDAY SCHOOL & NURSERY Rena Demone 902-634-9644 TOURS Peter Allen 902-634-4668 CONGREGATIONAL DEVELOPMENT Mary Meisner 902-634-8429 FOOD BANK Laura Roblee 902-521-4823 MEALS ON WHEELS Laura Roblee 902-521-4823, Barbara Simonds 902-634-3319 PLANNED GIVING Jim Eisenhauer 902-634-4713 PWRDF David Penney 902-209-1626 REGIONAL COUNCIL Mary Meisner, Betty Lou Olivier SAFER CHURCH Duncan Crowdis 902-640-2214 SYNOD DELEGATES Haigh Carthew, Robert MacMillan CUSTODIAN SEXTON NEWSLETTER Janice & Brian Kenefick 902-764-2145 WEBSITE Grant Dixon 902-640-2897 11 12